Presentation Title

Student Presenter(s) and Advisor

Location

Young 320

Abstract

Languages have changed throughout the course of human history. The development of languages depends on human interactions across cultures. My exploratory research focuses on how environmental factors both impact and are impacted by intercultural communications. I have compared research on regions’ ecological histories to their linguistic histories and, in doing so, have found that language change is not only symptomatic of a culture’s changing perspective on the environment, but also a driving factor behind it. The opposite is also true: environmental change forces languages to change via the distribution of resources.

Presentation Type

Individual Presentation

Start Date

4-9-2013 2:20 PM

End Date

4-9-2013 2:40 PM

Panel

Panel: Language and Communication in Africa

Panel Moderator

Alexander Mawyer

Field of Study for Presentation

Sociology and Anthropology

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Apr 9th, 2:20 PMApr 9th, 2:40 PM

Environmental Factors in Language throughout Africa

Young 320

Languages have changed throughout the course of human history. The development of languages depends on human interactions across cultures. My exploratory research focuses on how environmental factors both impact and are impacted by intercultural communications. I have compared research on regions’ ecological histories to their linguistic histories and, in doing so, have found that language change is not only symptomatic of a culture’s changing perspective on the environment, but also a driving factor behind it. The opposite is also true: environmental change forces languages to change via the distribution of resources.